And the people forcing women to give birth also complain if the woman needs public assistance to raise said child. And the mother is the one called vile names. Pathetic.

Being ignored at work is so insidious, even client events are designed for male attendees, sporting tickets, golf trips. Where I worked management would arrange a weekend away for selected staff, a BOYS weekend away, never any females and no alternative rewards.

Did a man tell you that? (Before I get crucified, this comment is a joke.)

Agreed. What I struggle with is the common societal belief that somehow things are already equal. Feminism is common, right? Women already broke the glass ceiling, right? Men are SAHP too, right? All are true, but that doesn't make things equal for men and women. We're expected to do it all - work, parent, cook, clean, because it's the rare male who'll take it on, and those who do are praised to the skies for "helping" or "babysitting". No, it's their job too. Statistically women make less money, have more familial responsibility and are more likely to experience abuse of any kind. So while there's been progress, no, things are not equal.

And feeling their annoyance when you tell them the answer to something and they know you're right.

Not just the bouncing. With a lot of equipment they are straight up in the way. You will hit them with a bar of some sort, or try to destroy a nipple with some kind of strap or rope.

And sports bras bind and hurt!

I'm sure some clothead will say "get breast reduction surgery!" but (a) who's paying for it? and (b) does she want it? Only an option for women if both answers agree. And those who ignorantly say "why not cycle instead of running?" are probably the same ash soles that "joke" about cars running over cyclists.

Also how it affects your breathing when you bend over and work with your head down for a while!

I cannot even begin to say how much existing itself hurts. I have a US 34I (yes, I as in "imagine"!). Just buying a bra takes forever and costs me several mental breakdowns because I am just after 30+ years of wearing these "things" in constant pain and I am already sick and tired of having to try the bra on everytime only to realize it just doesn´t fit even if it is the right size. Straps are too thin. Like come on! These things weight 3-4kg ffs! And no, not artificial, natural unfortunately. Going without a bra (at home) hurts, wearing a bra hurts. I have so many chronic and irreparable physical and mental health problems because of it that you cannot imagine. As for the workout/excercising - yes. You cannot run or jump. Trust me, you can´t. I cannot workout/exercise the way or as much as I should or wanted because of it.

Breast reduction? They can cause a lot of back issues :(

I’m really grateful to have small boobs.

Doing simple push-ups can bother the breasts, and I'm only a D, and post-menopause, so no pre-period swelling any more. It can still feel awkward to try to lie flat on the stomach.

There are good sports bras out there, but they are pricey. I have a Panache sports bra that goes up to HH cup and does the job.

Get a breast reduction. It's the best thing I ever did for myself. Generally, insurance won't pay for it, but when we sent the POUNDS of breast tissue to the pathologist, he insisted that the insurance pay because of the amount removed. I got all my money back! All of it! Granted, the downside are the scars. They lighten up, but if you get enough removed (I'm a C now), you can go braless and THAT is like a shirtless run, which we can't do anyway.

Sleeping, swimming, leaning over, having men grab them (are they *real*? - YES!!!). I can't find a comfortable bra/bathing suit to fit my small body and huge breasts. Now they sag dreadfully, I'm dealing with cancer, and I no longer care what they look like.

Never tried to swim?? You will not feel the weight, no clothes are to small(and anybody sees it) Also anything feels lighter and gravity doesn´t work against you...

Yesssss, intimacy without emotion is just mechanical and pointless. Your female needs are ignored or not considered at all as long as they get off, it's job done as far as they are concerned.

I tried to explain this to a male friend and they just didn't understand how, when you're alone, women can see every strange man as a threat. It's an extension of the post above... Chances are we can't fight a man off so if we're attacked, that's it.

We need to ensure that at least half of the world doesn't. As women we need to love ourselves.

My favourite story about medical dismissal are the doctors who developed the IUD. Starting with Ernest Grafenberg and the men (all male doctors) who developed the device, insertion and removal aren't painful because there are no nerves in the cervix. Sadly our cervixes don't know this. The problem today is the continued belief that there's no need for pain management during these procedures. That's just wrong. Experiences vary but I know several women (and I am one of them) who had significant pain and/or a vagal response. Anyone who claims severe cramping, bleeding, nausea, blurred vision and fainting are symptoms that don't require treatment is out of their GD mind.

I'd love if this was higher up. It's something so few people talk about but it can seriously f you up. It can start as early as your late 30s and last 10 years or more, hot flashes, night sweats, hormonal fluctuations and all, you just get to keep having periods. But they'll be irregular. It's like a special slice of f*ck you to round out your meal of being female. Welcome to womanhood.

Sadly there are a lot of people who believe the fight is over and we have enough. No, we don't. We should have the right to make decisions about our own bodies and access to the support and programs we need to do so. We deserve equal pay for equal work and equal opportunities for jobs. We have a right not to be abused or assaulted by our partners or family members or even strangers. We should have access to the same education men have. We need to normalise both parents' contribution to childcare (Dads aren't babysitting, they're parenting). This is just a small portion of what we're still fighting for. There's a long, long way to go before we get close to having the same rights as men. And before the incels come for me, to be clear, this isn't about women's rights being more important than men's rights, it's about our rights being important TOO.

Just be yourself.

The songs I hate the most are those where the guy sings about how beautiful a woman is, and especially because she doesn't know how beautiful she is. Lol like he's extra attracted to her because she has low self confidence?

I'm sick of carrying around purses.

I have a problem with anyone who feels they have a right to control my uterus. I don't even let my partner do that, so why TF would I let a politician?

LOL On the flip side, that was an excuse to not have to cover someone's shift (that I always got stuck as the default) when I was working odd shifts. Not like anyone was willing to cover for me when I was bedridden sick. Men who try to BS their way out of doing what they're supposed to be helping with are just adult children who still bring their laundry to their parent's house for his mom to do. Mature men want to be thought of an competent and important to the relationship and family.

Some men's egos are so fragile. Reject an advance and they go from calling you 'honey' to 'see you next Tuesday' in moments.

Seriously the strength difference is pretty shocking. When I was in the best shape of my life I challenged my brother in law to a pushup contest and beat him by an almost embarrassing amount. Later I tried to arm wrestle him and was shocked by how weak my grip and arm strength was in comparison. He wasn't much bigger than me and yes I was in better shape and could do more pushups than him, but he easily overpowered me in a harmless contest and it's scary to know how it would be almost impossible to get out of a similar grip in a dangerous, nefarious situation with a man

I can vouch for the endometriosis. Mine was so bad that they ended up giving me a hysterectomy at 31 y.o.

Finding a GP who'll take my gyno health seriously (even female doctors) has been a lifelong search.

My favourite quite from Gavin de Becker (author of ‘The Gift of Fear’): “When a man in our society says ‘no’ it’s the end of the discussion. When a woman says ‘no’ it’s the beginning of a negotiation.”

There was a lady who went missing during a walk along the perimeter highway in my area. She was missing for about a year or so. She was kidnapped. No one knew who was the perp. It put people nervous about going for walks. Turns out she was kidnapped and killed by someone she knew and they finally caught him.

Then they overlooked her for awards.

If that's the case, I would look into discriminatory wage practices and bring it up with the Human Rights Commission.

I do know men who are very self-conscious of their body and looks.

My last ex. It's been over 6 years and after him I still have no desire to date.

And sometimes you're never taken seriously, as even if you are competent you're still "just" a woman :(

Don't forget the absolute randomness around the actual sizes. A 14 in one place can be an 18 in another. And don't get me started on pockets.

Being "drugged" at a bar or by Bill Cosby is despicable.

Yes! I've always hated the way my nipples "betrayed" my body, whether I was cold or simply the way my own shirt brushed up on them. And now at almost 50 years old I'm still ashamed, because of weight gain and just age, they are droopy and not even, well, even! I hate talking to a man and while I'm making eye contact I can see his eyes slither down 🤮

Doctors with specialties where weight is completely irrelevant, say an ear doctor or a dentist, saying "you are overweight and probably have diabetes, I'll book some tests for that". The mental triumf when you don't have diabetes (yet, anyway) when you are tested. ANY doctor who uses the BMI to measure ONE person. That scale is created to measure populations, groups of people, not for individuals. It makes no difference between fat or muscles, so a very fit person with lots of muscles (that weigh more than fat) is told to have a BMI that is too high. MD's ought to know this.

AnnaB

AnnaB

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You mean the men who think women pee out of their vagina?

A friend of mine was married to this guy that I thought was a really nice guy. He was heavily involved in their religious community. He was a super involved dad. He just seemed like a great guy. She let me read a letter he wrote her when they were having issues. There was so much about that letter that was just devastating. I'd have been a wreck if my husband wrote the words he did. One of the things he said was that he judges all women on first meeting them by how f@!$able they are and if they're worth his time. Even knowing he'll never get at chance to f them, he still judges them. If he doesn't find them worthy, he doesn't give them the time of day. They're worth nothing to him. This from a married man who wasn't actually seeking to sleep with these women. But if he couldn't even fantasize about you, then you're nothing. It's so gross knowing some men are like this.

I'm so sorry.

Not being respected for NOT wanting a child, as if we are some kind of mental aberrant! I never wanted children. Just no. Doesn't mean I hate them or don't respect those that do, it's just not for me.

If you're over 50 it's a whole other struggle. You have to fight the belief that somehow women are too old to be useful by then. Conversely men over 50 are valued for their experience. It's maddening.

Not constant, I don't fear men in general but I am aware of behaviour that is threatening in males and male groups.

Same with coughing. And my boss asking if I really needed to use the toilet again after 15 minutes.

It doesn't.

Had to act submissive and tell yourself you're not important

Kalikima

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My door is locked 24/7, no matter what.

This last sentence is so true. "No wine for me"= tee hee, pregnant! Or "It's so hot" = tee hee, menopause! JFC, this chit pisses me off. 1st, because it's always the first thought. And 2nd, because lets all laugh at the women issues, even if it's not true.

I notice the pressure isn't coming from men, but other women. We compare ourselves a lot to other females, and other females know it. We get more criticism of our looks by other women. If you think about it, men don't care about how perfect our eyebrows look, they actually hate the eyelash extension and super long, pointy nails, and most, average men, really don't care about our weight that much. Good hygiene, a decent personality, self-confidence, being self-efficient is enough. If not, they're not for you.

"You're sooo beautiful, you're a goddess." "Sorry, I'm not interested in dating right now." "Well, you're too ugly to date anyway!".

Crippling almost evert month

I would rather just cuddle. A back massage feels 1000% better than sex at this point. What's insulting is when people say "You must have never had good sex hahaha". Not at all. I've just experienced it and I'm tired. Sex is very physically demanding and just don't have the energy for it anymore, it's messy, sweaty, and can be uncomfortable. Perhaps those people never had a good back massage, getting your knots kneaded. It can feel orgasmic.

AnnaB

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Off topic, but the word is 'wary', not weary.